SNL

Adam Sandler doesn’t do many interviews. He’s completely sworn off print media (“I used to be misquoted all the time”) and appears on-camera only sparingly. I’ve been doing this job for over 14 years, and have never once interviewed the man. He’s traditionally been one of the few actors who didn’t need to talk to the press, and considering his prickly relationship with critics, likely didn’t walk to talk to them either. But, recently in New York, Sandler did agree to an on-camera interview to talk about his latest movie, Pixels, and to address the controversy surrounding his upcoming Netflix movie The Ridiculous Six.

A sad day for fans of George Coe and his extensive body of work, as the Oscar-nominated 86-year old actor and activist has passed away. The lifelong star was recently known for his work as Archer’s ever-faithful servant Woodhouse, and also dates back to the original cast of SNL.

Dwayne Johnson hosted the best episode of SNL’s 40th season (this may be debatable in your mind, but not mine), bringing his seemingly effortless blend of comedic timing and charisma to the stage in a series of sketches that were relentlessly funny. SNL had plenty of material to choose from when it came to airtime, so the fact that one of these great sketches went unaired is hardly surprising.

When Lorne Michaels is producing a movie, it’s probably pretty easy to get a bunch of former and current SNL cast members to show up for cameo appearances. Michaels produced the upcoming indie comedy Staten Island Summer, which the trailer sells as a solid coming of age tale even without all those SNL cameos — though they probably won’t hurt.

Between Donald Trump, Confederate flags, Rachel Dolezal and marriage equality, it’s a painful time for SNL to be on hiatus. Thankfully, the NBC sketch comedy today bring us one step closer to September (okay, last September) with a cut sketch from the Season 40 premiere featuring Guardians of the Galaxy favorite Chris Pratt putting on his best Jason Statham.

Chris Farley is a loss that still hurts to this day — the larger-than-life actor was a comedic force, a man who could make anyone and everyone laugh with his joyful shenanigans. The SNL cast member was a legend before his untimely death, and that passing only cemented his status as an icon. Friends and family look back on Farley’s impact, and his life and death in the trailer for I Am Chris Farley.

Much as Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler have gone on to kill it in Late Night and Inside Out respectively, the SNL fan in all of us will always miss their Weekend Update banter. Now, our own inner Joy can howl with delight, as the pair reunited on Late Night for a new incarnation of fan-favorite "Really!?!"

Every week, SNL ends up having to cut a sketch or two for time — these segments are released online as “digital exclusives.” Sometimes, those segments are better than anything else that aired, like this short that was cut from the Season 40 finale, featuring Louis C.K. and Kyle Mooney’s pitiful fictional comedian Bruce Chandling.

This season of SNL has had some definite highs and definite lows (I’ve been seriously questioning the writers’ ability to deliver great material for the female hosts), and the last few episodes have only been consistent in their clumsiness. What began as a strong season has faltered in the final lap, but the promise of Louis C.K. hosting the Season 40 finale inspired some optimism thanks to both his comedic talents and his track record with SNL. Sadly, this week’s outing proved to be as so-so as the last few episodes, resulting in a finale that’s merely half-decent.

SNL frequently struggles with its opening monologues and the past few seasons have seen the show retreat to the same well on multiple occasions. That well usually involves the guest host breaking into song, which used to be funny until it became the go-to template for episodes where no one in the writer’s room could come up with a halfway decent idea. That’s why the season finale was right to just let guest host Louis C.K. perform 10 minutes of stand-up. It’s not just funny — it actually allows him to get the show warmed up by reminding us why we like this guy (and why he’s worthy of hosting SNL) in the first place.